Critical Illness Polyneuropathy Following Cardiac Surgery

Critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP), a neurologic complication which may occur secondary to surgery, trauma and coma, is associated with sepsis or multiple organ failure (MOF). CIP is characterized by an axonal distal degeneration of sensory and motor fibres. The patients will often become neurologically conspicious when weaning from mechanical ventilation is unexpectedly difficult. In such cases electrophysiologic examinations must be performed. CIP following cardiac surgery is widely unrecognized. The most important aspect of CIP therapy is treatment of the underlying disease, because no specific treatment for CIP exists. We report on a 64-year old patient who developed sepsis and CIP following cardiovascular surgery. The neurological complication was initially misinterpreted as hypoxic brain damage.